Why I hate Judo 3.5

Uploaded 07/27/2009

*Ebaums cut off the end of the last Blog... so here it is quickly*

Chester was lying on the mats, unfortunately someone had already put something under his head, which was more then likely the worse thing anyone could have done in that situation and I would say we were very lucky Chester didn't end up dead from this.

You need to understand that Chester spoke broken English, so it was tough to gather what had happened. I did the normal tests, pinching his palms and feet, he told me he could feel it but it felt weird.

Somewhere in there another student Jonathan had run to the front to summon an ambulance, and he returned. I started asking about exactly what had happened, and pieced together a pretty good idea from Jeff and everyone else. When the paramedics arrived they preformed a lot of the same tests I had on Chester, and came to the same conclusion I already had, severe neck trauma possibly a break. I was hoping against hope that it wasn't the break it turned out to be. Chester isn't someone I would call a friend or anything but I didn't hate him either.

They took him away and that is the last time I have ever seen Chester Lam. At the time of the accident Chester was a quadriplegic, with no motion from the neck down. The last I had heard Chester had 70% control of his right arm and was even walking with the use of canes or a walker.

I guess I'm not finishing this tonight like I thought but will have to continue this another time as I run out of time at work to continue this. I'm going to warn you, I'm pretty sure the next chapter of this little story, covering what happened after, the trial, and how I was treated by the Judo Community at large, will be vastly negative and angry, it's still a sore spot with me to this day.